Lady Redskins Take Round One Against North Judson
For the second straight night Knox would play host to Starke County Rival North Judson, this time in girls basketball action. The Knox Lady Redskins entered the Wednesday night game sporting a perfect 10-0 record, while the Lady Bluejays of North Judson came in with an overall record of 4-2, having had their previous four games postponed, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Intensity was extremely high from start to finish, with neither team being in full control for large stretches of the game.
The first quarter would see much back-and-forth between the two teams, with each relying on their defensive pressure to keep their opponents in check. Early on the momentum would be in favor of North Judson, as the sister duo of Lily and Sophie Frasure were playing tough on both ends of the floor. One of the biggest sparks on the opposite end of the court for Knox would come from the early scoring by Sophomore Riley Messer, along with the defense of Senior Preston Minix. The biggest momentum shift of the first quarter would come at the end when the Lady Redskins had the ball out of bounds underneath their own basket, with 4.2 seconds remaining. Messer would make the inbounds pass to Minix in the corner. The lefty fired a three pointer that come up short, but Junior Megan Bolen would be able to pick the ball up off the floor and knock down a buzzer beating shot as time expired to give the Lady Redskins a 16-11 lead heading into the second quarter. The second quarter would belong to the Lady ‘Jays, with Miss Basketball candidate Lily Frasure coming alive offensively. It would actually be the defense of Frasure that would lead to her offense, as she would be able to take the ball away from the Lady Redskins on multiple occasions, resulting often times, in points at the other end. The Lady Bluejays would begin to take control of the second quarter, as they outscored Knox 16-6 in the second quarter take a 27-23 lead into the locker room at the half, with Frasure putting up fifteen of her game-high seventeen points in the first two quarters.
The third quarter would turn out to be the biggest difference in the ballgame for the two Starke County teams. The Lady Redskins’ defense would turn up the heat, frustrating the Lady Bluejays into committing eight turnovers in the quarter. Incredibly, the smothering defense of Knox would not allow a single point in the entire third quarter, while scoring seven points to take a slim lead at 30-27 heading into the final quarter of play. The fourth quarter would, once again, see the defense at the forefront for both teams, as only thirteen points would be scored by the two teams combined, with North Judson scoring seven, while Knox put up six to come away with the two point win.
“I’m just so proud of the girls” Knox Head Coach Neill Minix said following the win. “We got down for a bit, but they continued to fight hard. Our girls did a nice job of hustling and came away with the win. We got down by seven, our girls could’ve hung their heads, but they kept fighting”.
The Lady Redskins and Lady Bluejays will meet again at North Judson, for the game that will count in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference on January 23rd, in a game that will be aired on K99.3!
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came in the fourth quarter with 19.7 seconds remaining. Knox Junior Madison Moss came up with a monster rebound off of a missed Lady Redskin free throw, allowing Knox to get another point on the board on another free throw, making it a two-point game with only seconds remaining.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI went to Knox Senior Remi Jordan, who was able to score twelve points in the win while also pulling down seven rebounds, helping her Lady Redskins to remain undefeated at 11-0.
